Irregular breakfast eating and health status among adolescents in Taiwan
Resource
BMC Public Health 6: 295
Journal
BMC Public Health
Journal Volume
6
Journal Issue
295
Pages
-
Date Issued
2006
Date
2006
Author(s)
Abstract
Background: Regular breakfast eating (RBE) is an important contributor to a healthy lifestyle and health status. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the relationships among irregular breakfast eating (IRBE), health status, and health promoting behavior (HPB) for Taiwanese adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used to investigate a cluster sample of 1609 (7th -12th grade) adolescents located in the metropolitan Tao-Yuan area during the 2005 academic year. The main variables comprised breakfast eating pattern, body weight, and health promoting behaviors. Data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 1609 participants were studied, 64.1% in junior high school and 35.9% in high school, boys (47.1%) and girls (52.9%) ranging in age from 12-20 years. Of the total participant population, 28.8% were overweight and nearly one quarter (23.6%) reported eating breakfast irregularly during schooldays. The findings indicated that adolescents with RBE had a lower risk of overweight (OR for IRBE vs. RBE = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.12, 2.04), and that the odds of becoming overweight were 51% greater for IRBE than for RBE even after controlling for demographical and HPB variables. IRBE also was a strong indicator for HPB. However, the profile of the high-risk IRBE group was predominantly junior high schoolchildren and/or children living without both parents. Conclusion: This study provides valuable information about irregular breakfast eating among adolescents, which is associated with being overweight and with a low frequency of health promoting behavior. School and family health promotion strategies should be used to encourage all adolescents to eat breakfast regularly. ? 2006 Yang et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
SDGs
Other Subjects
adolescence; adolescent; adult; article; body mass; controlled study; dietary intake; eating habit; female; health behavior; health promotion; health status; health survey; human; human experiment; lifestyle; male; meal; obesity; questionnaire; risk assessment; school child; school health service; statistical analysis; Taiwan; adolescent behavior; child; cross-sectional study; feeding behavior; health; health behavior; lifestyle; physiology; psychology; quality of life; school; student; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adult; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Feeding Behavior; Female; Health Behavior; Health Promotion; Health Status; Humans; Life Style; Male; Overweight; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Schools; Students; Taiwan; Urban Health
Type
journal article
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